Opium War Research Paper

452 Words2 Pages

Billy’s presentation on opium caught my attention tremendously. Not only did he do a good job, but the topic itself interested me. The strife and hassle that went into the legalization of opium importation truly baffled me. The way opium usage is described by users in the book and by people in history, to be honest, makes it sound enticing. The adverse effects are definitely not worth it though. Opium usage can result in anxiety, depression, and even death caused by overdose. I do not know if In respect those who chose to use this drug but I definitely respect the people who died in the Opium Wars. I previously had no idea there were wars fought just for drugs. While I do not share these men 's passion for opium, it takes a lot of courage to …show more content…

How could addicts fight a war? The opium withdrawal would make them sluggish and sick. The only way to stop withdrawal is to use the drug again which would also be problematic. People high on opium would be even worse soldiers than the withdrawal sufferers. They would have dulled senses, slower reflexes, impaired judgement, and chronic laziness. Those qualities are all things that soldiers cannot have. I just hope no innocent people were killed in these wars. Sadly, that is the case in most feuds this large. I find it despicable that someone could kill an innocent person just because they want to escape reality with a dangerous drug. Then there is the theory that enemy soldiers are innocent because those people just have different ideals, but that is another paper. This presentation made me think about how different my life would be if I was an opium user. I would never have any money because it would all go to my drug habit. I also would not be in anywhere near as healthy as I am currently. I most likely would not be a student of NMH anymore. Most addicts get caught one way or another and I am sure this school would not put up with that. After getting kicked out, I would probably end up in a rehab center. I cannot see any benefits from using this